Furniture Woodworking Plans - Get This Right!

If you would like to build yourself a nice sofa, rocking chair, dinette set, bedroom, or any other kind of home or patio furnishings, you are going to need top quality furniture woodworking plans. There is no escaping this fact, unless you're into building pure garbage, which I very seriously doubt. This article will help you find the best plans available to build your furniture correctly the first time.

There are three very important criteria that any set of plans you're considering must meet. Ideally, your plans will meet all three of these criteria at a very high level. Check all the promotional materials associated with a set of plans to make sure that it does. In addition, read reviews from fellow woodworkers who have purchased and used the plans themselves. Amazon.com and Google are the best places to find such reviews.

Here are the 3 criteria your furniture woodworking plans must meet:

1. They must be easy to read and comprehend. If they're too small or cryptic, you could have a real problem.

2. They must be written by a master craftsman. If the creator of your plans wouldn't use them himself, run away!

3. They must be interesting, varied, and top quality. The more plans you can get for your money the better, provided they produce stunning results.

Building furniture can be an absolute joy. Many woodworkers do it so they can take pride in having beautiful, hand crafted pieces adding to the visual flare of their own homes. Others treat it as their profession, making a handsome profit from all of their skillful work. You may fall into one or both of these categories.

Whatever your reason for working with wood, your finished products can only be as good as the plans that were followed. No matter how talented a chef is, if he or she tries making a gluten-free chicken stir-fry using a recipe that calls for ground beef, white flour, and a crock pot... you get the idea.

This actually brings me to another thing you should expect from any furniture woodworking plans worthy of your time and money. They must clearly tell you what materials and tools will be required for each individual project. The less guesswork you are required to do, the better.

Above all, have a blast. Having professionally drawn up plans that meet all of the criteria set forth in this article can help set your mind at ease. And when your mind is at ease, you can work more confidently and joyfully. Next to quality education and basic tools, professional furniture woodworking plans are the most important asset you will ever acquire. Make sure you get it right!

View the original article here

Contemporary Furniture Plans - 3 Things You Had Better Get Right!

There are those people who can "see" the furniture waiting inside the rough wood, and can build a gorgeous piece that is truly a pleasure to behold. Most of us, however, do not possess such amazing skills and will require a set of quality, proven contemporary furniture plans to build that exciting, modern piece of furniture.

It does not matter how old you are or how much skill you possess, this is a fact that cannot be denied. Even if you did design your own furniture from memory, you would be limiting yourself from being able to build from all of the amazing contemporary furniture plans that are available on the market today.

As you look to erect your next work of art, you must take heed of 3 specific and important criteria. These really aren't requests, they're total requirements. If your blueprints are missing even one of these vital necessities, then they simply aren't the right blueprints for you. Keep on searching. That is how important these three requirements are.

Three criteria requirements are outlined here and must be followed:

1. Ensure that the woodworking plans you're using were drawn up by best professionals. Do not depend upon some novice would-be craftsman to manufacture trustworthy plans. It is of the utmost importance that yours are contemporary furniture plans that were created by someone who has used them him or herself. I cannot stress this enough.

2. It's incredibly common-sense, still it's important that I bring it up. These wood plans you're looking at had better be legible. Unless you want a majorly frustrating and hugely costly mistake in your furniture project(s), you must have the ability to actually read and understand your furniture plans. They'd better be large, lucid, and logical. The most commonly misinterpreted information among craftsmen are the numbers 3, 8, and 5. Just pay attention and be careful!

3. They've got to keep your interest. Not only should you choose plans for a piece of furniture that is interesting and/or elaborate, but you should also choose them from a designer that offers a good variety of contemporary furniture plans.

Woodworking is an absolutely incredible hobby (or business) to be involved in. If you are choosing the right types of plans, then your hobby will prove to be enjoyable and will have relatively little stress. Many woodworkers enjoy this hobby because it is challenging while also being truly enjoyable and even relaxing. However, your stress and fun are all dependent upon the designs that you are using for your projects. If you purchase a professional set of well-written plans, you will enjoy building your project much more.

You can start by looking at the three points listed in this article. I can't stress enough how important it is that your plans are of the highest quality. If you expect to construct quality pieces of furniture, then it is of absolute importance, and it makes absolute sense as well, to use only high quality plans. Before you even pick up your hammer or a piece of wood, make sure you have the proper plans to guide your work. Although mentioning tools brings up another valid point.

This leads me to another important item that any high-caliber set of contemporary furniture plans should provide. The plans need to very clearly list the tools and materials that will be needed to complete the project. You don't want to have to waste a lot of time and money guessing.

Nobody wants to experience this when you consider most people get into woodworking as a way of having fun in a practical way. While this is a serious business, this shouldn't remove all of the pleasure you feel from the creative process. All you have to do is keep in mind your reasons for getting involved in woodworking in the first place. With good plans and a relaxed mind you can create absolutely whatever you wish.

View the original article here

Lathe Techniques To Give Your Woodturning Project the Right Design Touch

The same as any craft, woodturning demands a strong foundation in the basics, knowing the wood properties, tools, techniques and most especially design techniques or considerations. Improving this knowledge gives the woodturner the ability to express unique creativity in challenging ways, from the traditional to the modern style.

Spindle Turning Technique:

There are two basic tasks performed on the wood lathe, and spindle turning is the most popular. The process of spindle turning includes mounting a wood blank between the lathe's headstock and tailstock. Many different spindle types can be created, from furniture legs to pens. Several turning tools are used to shape the project. When turning small projects like wooden pens, wood turners use a small lathe size.

Decorative Spindle Technique:

Decorative spindle techniques, unlike the spindle turning technique, focus primarily on roughing, smoothing and sizing a cylindrical or tapered stock of wood. The technique includes elaborate cutting of grooves, notches, curves and unique shapes. But despite the fact this seems a complicated technique, all decorative spindle turning is based on two basic cuts of beads and coves. Beads are raised convex surfaces whereas coves are cut-in concave hollows. Though beads and coves can stand alone, usually, they are part of a combination of elements in the overall design.

Faceplate Turning Technique:

Faceplate turning technique is one of the most pleasing turning techniques, since the wood turner watches a rough block of wood change into a symmetrical, smooth, hollow timber item before his eyes. The whole process happens on the lathe. There is no assembly or fabrication of other wood pieces. The process is one fluid woodturning task. Faceplate turning provides the wood turner a good deal of design freedom.

Bowl Turning Technique:

Bowl turning is considered a little more difficult than spindle turning, but as the wood turner becomes more experienced in faceplate turning, he will improve his skills to the point that bowl turning will become second nature. The bowl gouge is the integral tool used in turning bowl. The wood turner holds the gouge's bevel on the wood blank that turns into a roughly shaped bowl. Scraping tools are also used in bowl turning.

Conclusion:

Wood turning is not only fun but when practiced it can be a very great and relaxing experience. Start with the simple design using the simple technique. As time goes by, you will learn strategies to make things easy and start practicing the next design technique. No single technique can make you an expert. You need to master these basic techniques and start making your own afterwards.

View the original article here

You Can Begin Doing Woodworking Projects Right Now

You will find there are endless woodworking projects that you can make at your own pace and in your own time if you look for them. Many are looking for ways in which to have great looking furniture without spending an excessive amount of money. Creating your own furniture is a great way to do this, and to save a lot of money on every project you create.

Depending on your skill level, you will find a number of woodworking projects that you can try. For those with experience, if you want, you can create much more challenging projects. Those who are new will find that they need to start out small the first few projects. In order to get started, you will need to think about the skill level intended for your project and then ensure that you do not take on projects that are too challenging.

Making sure that you complete your projects in such a way that you finish them in a step by step fashion will help you to save time - like making sure you have all the materials and tools first. You will need to order a few extra boards just for good measure, since even the best woodworker makes errors. Try to have a guide or plan of some sort that you can look at for reference as you build. You will want to go over all your tools to be sure you have the tools you need before you begin.

To begin you may want to try your hand at the birdhouse woodworking projects first. That way you can begin to develop the necessary skills to tackle more difficult projects along the way. When you start out small like this, you are testing the waters to see if you like the hobby, but also getting a sense of the tools and skills needed to succeed.

Do not get involved in woodworking projects without giving thought to your safety as well. Try to keep your eyes well protected and that you are shielding yourself properly from stray wood fragments and sawdust as you cut. Be aware of pinch points and other hazards as you work with wood. Having a first aid kit would be a great idea just in case.

When you begin your first woodworking projects you are still going to be determining if this hobby is one that you want to continue in your spare moments. Of course you will likely be pleased with every project you complete, and will continue to grow in skill every time you do finish a project.

View the original article here